No one offers more ways to compactly cluster desks for group work.

Clustering school furniture is one of the keys to creating effective collaborative learning environments. (In this case, we’re talking about the physical grouping of desks, not about the the concept of Cluster Groups, which is currently gaining a great deal of attention in educational circles.) Smith System pioneered clustering student furniture through new designs in desktops. Today each of our product lines offers several choices of cluster furniture. With Smith System, your question isn’t, “Do you have desks that can be clustered in the classroom.” Your question is, “Which of these many choices will look and work best?”

What started with a trapezoid became a portfolio full of clustering school furniture.

Years ago, Smith System designers learned that educators were being hampered in their efforts to implement cooperative learning in their classrooms by rectangular student desks. It was apparent that the desks couldn’t be made into compact groups of six to eight students. Our designers responded with our Huddle™ and Arc™ Desks, both offering the versatility to allow students to work individually or in groups of up to six or eight.

Educators who’d been unable to apply cooperative learning concepts in their schoolrooms immediately embraced the designs. Naturally, we followed up with many more options in cluster furniture including, the 3-2-1™ Desk, two versions of the Interchange™ Wing Desk and two version of the Interchange™ Diamond Desk. For even more furniture clustering options, our UXL™ line offers its version of the Diamond Desk.

No one offers more choices of desktop shapes that allow clustering for small group work. And all of those choices are available with more options as to colors and finishes. We’ve advanced the category to the point where you can choose the furniture based on which creates the most harmonious classroom environment – on which is most pleasing to the eye.